Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Moja bambus avantura - My bamboo adventure

Pre par nedelja me je Vida jako obradovala poklonivši mi mustru za prsluk pod nazivom Milo, autorke tiKKiknits. Ovo mi se učinilo kao odličan povod da krenem u kupovinu prediva. U poslednje vreme se sve više priča o pletenju predivom od bambusa. Svi kažu da je mnogo lepo, pa odlučih i ja da probam. Zaputila sam se u novu prodavnicu prediva u Kornelija Stankovića (imaju lep izbor ruske i turske vunice) i izabrala dve štringle šarenog prediva od bambusa. U pitanju je Alize Bamboo, narandžasto-smeđe-roze boje.
Prsluk sam plela na iglama br. 3, mada predivo zahteva deblje igle. Pletivo je neverovatno glatko i ujednačeno, slobodno mogu reći da mi je ovo najuspešniji rad do sada. Bambus divno klizi preko igala, pravo ga je zadovoljstvo plesti.


Kako do sada još nisam imala prilike raditi sa bambusom, istražila sam Internet u potrazi za njegovim prednostima i nedostacima u odnosu na pamuk i saznala sledeće:

Bambus je biljka koja se prvenstveno uzgaja na azijskom kontinentu, mada ga ima i u drugim krajevima sveta. Lak je za uzgajanje, pošto praktično zahteva samo veliku količinu vode. Ubraja se u trave, mada je visok čak do 35 metara. Zbog svoje čvrstine prvenstveno se koristio za gradnju, a kasnije i za izradu nameštaja, podova, sportske opreme, odeće, obuće i sl.

Nit bambusa predstavlja vlakno celuloze dobijeno iz stabla i listova bambusa, obrađeno alkalnom hidrolizom i izbeljivanjem.

A ovo su prednosti bambusa u odnosu na pamuk:

1. Bambus je mnogo isplatljiviji za uzgoj i obradu od pamuka, pošto radi njegove obrade nije potrebno uništiti celu biljku, već joj samo odseći stablo i listove, tako da za manje od godinu dana izrasta novo stablo, koje je spremno za novi ciklus proizvodnje.
2. Vlakna bambusa su mekša od vlakana pamuka, više su nalik na svilu ili kašmir.
3. Presek ovog vlakna sadrži mnoštvo mikrootvora, pa mnogo lakše propušta vlagu, znoj i vazduh. Čak dvostruko bolje propušta vlagu od pamuka, što ga čini odličnim materijalom za izradu odevnih predmeta.
4. Bambus sadrži prirodne antibiotske agense, odnosno materijal je takav da otežava razvoj bakterija.
5. Tkanina od bambusa upija ultraljubičaste zrake, što je čini idealnom za izradu letnje garderobe.
6. Bambusova vlakna imaju antistatička i hipoalergijska svojstva.
7. Ovu biljku prilikom uzgoja nije potrebno tretirati pesticidima niti đubriti, tako da se ubraja u organski uzgojene biljke.

Jeste li vi imali iskustva sa bambusom? Volela bih da čujem vaše utiske.

*   *   *

A few weeks ago Vida, a knitter friend, made me very happy by sending me a gift-pattern called Milo, by tiKKiknits. This was a great excuse to go yarn shopping. Lately I have heard a lot about knitting with bamboo yarn, so I decided to try it out. I headed out to the nearest yarn shop that was just recently opened and bought two skeins of orange-brown-pink bamboo yarn (Alize Bamboo).
I knitted this vest on 3mm needles, although the yarn requires a larger size. My work turned out to be incredibly even and smooth and I dare say this is my best work so far. The yarn glides over the needles in such a satisfactory way, that it is a joy to knit.

Since I have never knitter with bamboo yarn before this, I turned to the Internet searching for information about the advantages of bamboo over cotton. This is what I found out:

Bamboo is a grasslike plant, primarily grown in Asia, although it can be found in other parts of the world as well. It is very simple to grow, since it only requires a large amount of water nearby. Bamboo is a type of grass, even though it can grow up to 35 meters tall. Due to its toughness it was originally used in building, but later on it was used for making furniture, floors, sports equipment, clothes, etc.

A bamboo fiber is a cellulosic fiber, made from the bamboo stem and leaves, treated with alkaline hydrolysis and bleaching.

And these are the advantages of bamboo over cotton:

1. Bamboo is much more eco-friendly and selfsustainable for growth and processing than cotton, since it is harvested by cutting only the stem and the leaves of the plants (not destroying the whole plant). A new bamboo shoot will spring out and be ready for the next harvest in less than a year.
2. Bamboo fibers are softer than cotton fibers, more like silk or cashmere fibers.
3. The cross section of this fiber is filled with a number of micro-gaps, so it has better moisture (sweat) absorption and ventillation than cotton fibres (up to twice the moisture absorption compared to cotton). This makes it a great material for making clothes.
4. Bamboo contains natural antibacterial agents, which make it hard for bacteria to grow on this material.
5. Bamboo fibers absorb ultraviolet rays, so it is excellent for knitting summer clothes.
6. Bamboo fibers have antistatic and hypoallergenic properties.
7. There is no need to use pesticides or fertilizers when growing bamboo, so it is an organic base for textile fibers.

Have you any had experience with this yarn? I would very much like to hear your impressions.

Sources/Izvori:
http://www.indiantextilejournal.com/articles/FAdetails.asp?id=3086
http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/textile-industry-articles/properties-of-bamboo-fibre/properties-of-bamboo-fibre1.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_textiles
http://www.ehow.com/list_6727655_properties-bamboo-yarn.html